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Formendacil · 04-09-2005, 10:21 AM

Well, to be honest, I'm hard-pressed to say that there are chapters of the LotR that I DIS-like, but now that I get to thinking about it, there are certainly chapters that I like more/less than others. So, for a book-by-book discourse:

Book I

Strider Book I is probably my overall favourite, chapter-wise. I love the strong hobbitocentricity (to coin a term) of the chapters. The journey feels faster-paced than it later becomes, and there is still a lot of poetry floating around. It's very hard for me to pick a favourite from this book, since I love ALL the chapters, but I would have to say that of the three parts of this book: the Shire, Bombadil, and the East Road, I like the East Road part best. The frivolous tone that crept into the earlier chapters here and there is gone, and it introduces us to Strider. Really, its something of a cointoss between Strider and At the Sign of the Prancing Pony for favourite chapter, but Strider wins out for dialogue. As a reader who knows the story so well, much of my reading enjoyment now comes from reading out loud, hence the dialogue parts attract me more. Also, this chapter, in addition to great dialogue, contains Gandalf's letter. I can't say why, because I don't know, but that letter is one of my favourite parts of the LotR.

Book II

Many Meetings Book II is easier to pick from than Book I. Book II has several great chapters, but it also has several that I can easily discard from the race, even though they may have individual passages that I really like. Many Meetings wins hands down. After the darkness of the latter half of Book I, it comes as a merry respite. And indeed, the whole chapter is just about Frodo having a good time in Rivendell. Once again, this is a Chapter with a lot of great dialogue (the Frodo and Gandalf exchange at its beginning being perhaps the most memorable). It also stars several of my favourite characters prominently: Gandalf, Elrond, Bilbo, Aragorn. And then there's "Earendil was a mariner...", which is my favourite piece of poetry in the entire LotR.

Book III

The Voice of Saruman If Book I was hard to pick from, this was excruciating. Book III might well have the most really good chapters of any of the books, at least from my point of view. Although I don't care too much for some, there are quite a few that I love: The Departure of Boromir, Treebeard, The King of the Golden Hall, The Palantir, and, of course, The Voice of Saruman. These are all great chapters, and I wish that they each had their own books, so that I could nominate them, but I can't. Once again, the choice comes down to dialogue, with Saruman's awesome speeches taking the gold medal. I love the speeches in this chapter, and Gandalf's victory over Saruman is one of the most vivid images I have of the whole book.

Book IV

The Choices of Master Samwise I always find Book IV hard to get into. I just doesn't hold my attention as well as the others. It generally takes me until the Black Gate to get into it, and I enjoy Ithilien, but it does not have quite the same level of enjoyment as the other books. Post-Faramir Book IV is both my least favourite part of the LotR and some of the best. Journey to the Cross-roads is probably my least favourite chapter in the entire LotR. However, once that is passed, my interest level begins to rise, finally climbing above Book III levels, and into The Choices of Master Samwise. This is a great chapter, with the anguish of Sam deciding to leave Frodo, the shock of Frodo being dead, and then the subsequent shock of finding out that he's not. I also love the Shagrat/Gorbag scene: a little bit of fun dialogue.

Book V

The Pyre of Denethor Much like its true companion, Book III, I have a lot of favourites in this book. Minas Tirith does the awesome job of introducing us to Gondor, Denethor, and contains some fun scenes with Pippin and Beregond or Bergil. The imagery of the companies marching into Minas Tirith is among my favourites. The Seige of Gondor is a favourite in much the same way. Quite frankly, I'm a sucker for anything Gondor. And who can deny the grandeur of The Battle of the Pelennor Fields? Howevr, for me it is The Pyre of Denethor that takes the cake. This chapter gives you a personal perspective on the battle, what Pippin was up to. And I LOVE Denethor's empassioned dialogue with Gandalf as he was about to try and kill himself and Faramir. I did it as a monologue several years ago, and I still have an overwhelming fondness for those lines. It's also a chapter of great courage and loyalty (see Beregond and Pippin), but also great sadness. "So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion, Lord High Steward of Gondor...."

Book VI

The Scouring of the Shire Much of Book VI is rather boring. Not entirely boring, for sure, but boring enough that the rousing adventure of the return of the hobbits to the Shire comes much welcome. Even the last episodes of Frodo and Sam's journey to Orodruin is fraught with a sense of "Almost there, almost there, let's get this over with!" Then we descend through a pile of denouement chapters (which, although they contain some great stuff, are on whole not that lively), until we come back to the Shire. Here, we get to see one last adventure as the hobbits fight the Battle of Bywater, converse with the Cottons (that's Mr. Dialogue speaking), and come to a final confrontation with Saruman outside Bag-End itself, of all places. For a moment, Frodo's pensiveness and gloomy feelings are set aside, and action takes the spotlight with Merry and Pippin in the leading roles. A great chapter, no doubt, and quite possibly my favourite in the entire LotR.

04-09-2005, 10:21 AM	#11
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	Well, to be honest, I'm hard-pressed to say that there are chapters of the LotR that I DIS-like, but now that I get to thinking about it, there are certainly chapters that I like more/less than others. So, for a book-by-book discourse: Book I Strider Book I is probably my overall favourite, chapter-wise. I love the strong hobbitocentricity (to coin a term) of the chapters. The journey feels faster-paced than it later becomes, and there is still a lot of poetry floating around. It's very hard for me to pick a favourite from this book, since I love ALL the chapters, but I would have to say that of the three parts of this book: the Shire, Bombadil, and the East Road, I like the East Road part best. The frivolous tone that crept into the earlier chapters here and there is gone, and it introduces us to Strider. Really, its something of a cointoss between Strider and At the Sign of the Prancing Pony for favourite chapter, but Strider wins out for dialogue. As a reader who knows the story so well, much of my reading enjoyment now comes from reading out loud, hence the dialogue parts attract me more. Also, this chapter, in addition to great dialogue, contains Gandalf's letter. I can't say why, because I don't know, but that letter is one of my favourite parts of the LotR. Book II Many Meetings Book II is easier to pick from than Book I. Book II has several great chapters, but it also has several that I can easily discard from the race, even though they may have individual passages that I really like. Many Meetings wins hands down. After the darkness of the latter half of Book I, it comes as a merry respite. And indeed, the whole chapter is just about Frodo having a good time in Rivendell. Once again, this is a Chapter with a lot of great dialogue (the Frodo and Gandalf exchange at its beginning being perhaps the most memorable). It also stars several of my favourite characters prominently: Gandalf, Elrond, Bilbo, Aragorn. And then there's "Earendil was a mariner...", which is my favourite piece of poetry in the entire LotR. Book III The Voice of Saruman If Book I was hard to pick from, this was excruciating. Book III might well have the most really good chapters of any of the books, at least from my point of view. Although I don't care too much for some, there are quite a few that I love: The Departure of Boromir, Treebeard, The King of the Golden Hall, The Palantir, and, of course, The Voice of Saruman. These are all great chapters, and I wish that they each had their own books, so that I could nominate them, but I can't. Once again, the choice comes down to dialogue, with Saruman's awesome speeches taking the gold medal. I love the speeches in this chapter, and Gandalf's victory over Saruman is one of the most vivid images I have of the whole book. Book IV The Choices of Master Samwise I always find Book IV hard to get into. I just doesn't hold my attention as well as the others. It generally takes me until the Black Gate to get into it, and I enjoy Ithilien, but it does not have quite the same level of enjoyment as the other books. Post-Faramir Book IV is both my least favourite part of the LotR and some of the best. Journey to the Cross-roads is probably my least favourite chapter in the entire LotR. However, once that is passed, my interest level begins to rise, finally climbing above Book III levels, and into The Choices of Master Samwise. This is a great chapter, with the anguish of Sam deciding to leave Frodo, the shock of Frodo being dead, and then the subsequent shock of finding out that he's not. I also love the Shagrat/Gorbag scene: a little bit of fun dialogue. Book V The Pyre of Denethor Much like its true companion, Book III, I have a lot of favourites in this book. Minas Tirith does the awesome job of introducing us to Gondor, Denethor, and contains some fun scenes with Pippin and Beregond or Bergil. The imagery of the companies marching into Minas Tirith is among my favourites. The Seige of Gondor is a favourite in much the same way. Quite frankly, I'm a sucker for anything Gondor. And who can deny the grandeur of The Battle of the Pelennor Fields? Howevr, for me it is The Pyre of Denethor that takes the cake. This chapter gives you a personal perspective on the battle, what Pippin was up to. And I LOVE Denethor's empassioned dialogue with Gandalf as he was about to try and kill himself and Faramir. I did it as a monologue several years ago, and I still have an overwhelming fondness for those lines. It's also a chapter of great courage and loyalty (see Beregond and Pippin), but also great sadness. "So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion, Lord High Steward of Gondor...." Book VI The Scouring of the Shire Much of Book VI is rather boring. Not entirely boring, for sure, but boring enough that the rousing adventure of the return of the hobbits to the Shire comes much welcome. Even the last episodes of Frodo and Sam's journey to Orodruin is fraught with a sense of "Almost there, almost there, let's get this over with!" Then we descend through a pile of denouement chapters (which, although they contain some great stuff, are on whole not that lively), until we come back to the Shire. Here, we get to see one last adventure as the hobbits fight the Battle of Bywater, converse with the Cottons (that's Mr. Dialogue speaking), and come to a final confrontation with Saruman outside Bag-End itself, of all places. For a moment, Frodo's pensiveness and gloomy feelings are set aside, and action takes the spotlight with Merry and Pippin in the leading roles. A great chapter, no doubt, and quite possibly my favourite in the entire LotR. __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.